1. Field of the Invention
The field of the present invention relates to tops that can be attached to beverage containers including, but not limited to, beverage cans and plastic cups that are used to contain soda, juices, fruit drinks, beer, and the like. In particular, the beverage can and container tops of this invention employ a beveled design with an internal reservoir and curved funnel surfaces that provide the consumer with a means for drinking from the container on the go, without having to unduly tilt her head, together with a smooth and controlled flow of the beverage.
2. Description of the Prior Art.
Most beverages, other liquids, and non-liquid materials capable of being poured, such as detergents, are stored and/or sold in containers such as the familiar aluminum soda and beer cans, and plastic cups found on the shelves of supermarkets and convenience stores and at sports stadiums and amusement parks. In the case of beverage cans, these containers are constructed in the form of a straight cylinder having a flat or concave base and a substantially flat top parallel to the base with a small frangible area that can be pulled off or folded into the interior of the container so that the contents thereof can be emptied into a glass and consumed or drunk with a straw. The large and small plastic cup containers that contain soda and beer sold in fast food restaurants, ball parks, gas stations, and other public places, are also of a straight or "V" cylindrical shape and must utilize a substantially flat top or lid in order to take the beverage on the go. In some instances, such lids contain a simple and somewhat inconvenient "tear-off" portion that allows the beverage to be drunk in the car or while walking.
In today's fast pace society, it is desirable to be able to drink beverages directly from the container, without first pouring them into a drinking glass, cup or other vessel. This is especially the case when a beverage is drunk "on-the-go", i.e., in a car, outdoors, or in places where a drinking glass is not available. At the same time, it is also necessary to have the beverage well-contained such that it does not jump out and spill over the user.
However, a problem exists with the ergonomics of conventional beverage can and flat top containers. When the conventional beverage can or container is placed at the lips and tipped upwards for drinking, the drinker must maneuver or tilt her head backwards in order to consume the entire beverage. This is because the degree of upward tipping of the straight can that must be achieved in order to pour the beverage into the drinker's mouth has been blocked by the direct contact of the can's flat top with the drinker's nose. One often sees, for example in a soft drink television commercial, the subject drawing her head backwards in order to sip or chug her favorite soft drink directly from its can or cup. Thus, the shape and configuration of existing beverage can technology restricts the degree to which a conventional beverage can, when placed at one's lips, can be tipped backwards, and requires that a drinker compensate for this restriction by tilting her head backwards (or otherwise maneuvering it) to allow all of the beverage to enter her mouth. This difficulty in drinking directly from the conventional beverage can is heightened by the fact that tipping the can back too far results in too much beverage at the can's opening and thus inhibits the entry of air into the can's interior, which must occur in order to facilitate the emptying of the beverage. In addition, when the drinker tilts her head back too far, the beverage has a tendency to rush towards her lips, spilling onto the chin and possibly soiling her clothes.
Attempts to solve the "ergonomic" problems of the conventional straight cylindrical beverage cans and containers have not been very successful. U.S. Pat. No 4,728,002 to Ybanez discloses a straight cylindrical beverage can having a sharp angled top which is claimed to make it unnecessary for one drinking from the can to tilt her head back. However, the Ybanez can suffers from many disadvantages. First, Ybanez does not completely solve the aforementioned problem presented by the beverage cans of the prior art because it only permits the can to be tipped to a 90 degree angle relative to the drinker's face before contacting the drinker's nose. See Ybanez FIG. 3. This is not enough to easily discharge all of the beverage into the drinker's mouth and the drinker must still tilt her head back to compensate for this restriction Second, the Ybanez can presents a sharp or pointed edge to the drinker's lips which makes the can potentially unsafe for drinking directly therefrom. For example, drinking a beverage from the Ybanez can would subject the drinker to injury from the can's sharp edge if the drinker were jostled in a moving car or nudged in a crowded room. Third, Ybanez's sharp-angled top permits the exiting beverage to drip over the side of the can as Ybanez does not disclose or teach a lip or reservoir in the can to prevent the beverage from spilling before it enters into the drinker's mouth.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,773,291 to Weaver discloses a tapered glass bottle. Weaver is similar to Ybanez in that it utilizes angled flat top portion of a one-piece bottle which is claimed to make it unnecessary for one drinking from the bottle to tilt her head back. Weaver appears to have modified then-existing bottle design to shorten one side portion of the bottle neck, while leaving the other substantially intact, so as to form an angled top. However, while the outside of Weaver neck is a solid bulge, Weaver does not teach or disclose an internal curvature within the bottle so as to form a reservoir. The interior of Weaver was designed to remain straight. See Weaver FIGS. 5, 7, 8 and 9.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,071,042 to Esposito, discloses a bottle-like tapered adapter for a beverage can having a top portion that is parallel to the base portion, and which is said to provide a sanitary mouthpiece as an alternative to drinking directly from the top of unclean cans. The Esposito adapter claims to achieve this by using a plate and gasket assembly that prevents the beverage from contacting the top of the can. Esposito does not, however, disclose a reusable top that is beveled in relation to the base, nor an attachment which employs an internal reservoir and curved funnel surfaces for controlling the flow of beverage during drinking. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 828,817 to Harrington discloses a straight conical cap for bottles whose top surface is parallel to its base, and does not teach or suggest the novel features of the present invention.
French Pat. No. 1,437,341 to Turnwald discloses a metal infant goblet assembled from three separate parts: a first part for holding the liquid and providing a base, a second part consisting of a gasket, i.e., a garniture, having a series of holes that regulate the rate of flow of liquid leaving the first portion, and a third part that fits over the gasket and apparently from which the infant is fed. The third Turnwald part has an opening for drinking at the end of an angle top that is substantially parallel to the side of the base portion. However, while Turnwald discloses a angled spout, it does not disclose or suggest an internal reservoir for controlling the flow of liquid to the mouth opening. Instead, Tumnwald utilizes a gasket having holes therein to control the rate of flow of liquid during drinking. See Turnwald page 1, last sentence running to top of page 2.
Additional prior art also fails to the novel features of the Applicant's invention. U.S. Pat. No. 5,409,131 to Phillips et. al. discloses a drinking lid for a disposable coffee cup with a domed cover and a "flexible spout" made of accordion-like pleats or folds. The pleats or folds of Phillips et al. apparently enable the spout to be bent like a conventional drinking straw so that the end of the spout can engage with the mouth of the individual. (Phillips et al. Col. 2, lines 23-24). Unlike the present invention, Phillips et al. does not teach or suggest to one of ordinary skill a beverage container attachment with a substantially rigid, beveled shaped portion having a an internal reservoir therein, which is made of one smooth curved piece, instead of pleats and folds.
In sum, the prior art fails to disclose a removable and reusable top having an interior reservoir and funneled surfaces in a beveled section that holds the beverage and regulates its volume and flow, inhibits its sudden rush from the container to the drinker's mouth, and thereby permits the drinker to employ a more gentle sipping action during drinking.